A total of 282 organisations in Scotland will benefit from the latest round of funding.
Charities and voluntary groups across Scotland are set to benefit from £3.3m of funding from the National Lottery Community Fund.
A total of 282 organisations will receive awards in the latest round of funding, many of whom are working to alleviate the impacts of the coronavirus crisis in their communities.
The recipients include Home-Start Renfrewshire and Inverclyde, who support young families as they become new parents. Social distancing rules means the charity is now offering services over the phone, Zoom and WhatsApp.
Thanks to an award of award of £442,309, Home-Start will be able to continue this support over the next four years.
Amyleigh Crumlish, 22, from Greenock, developed postpartum depression after the birth of her son Alexander two years ago. She says support from Home-Start has been invaluable to her recovery.
“They go above and beyond to make sure my son and I are both okay and I don’t know how I would have coped, especially recently with the Covid-19 crisis going on,” she said.
“Home-Start have completely changed my life for the better from the very beginning. They have opened their arms and welcomed us into their family full of kind, amazing people. Since having them in our lives I have had more support than I ever knew imaginable.”
In Ayrshire, an award of £127,500 means Ayrshire Cancer Support (ACS) can offer a range of support for people affected by cancer over the next five months. The funding also means they will be able to offer professional counselling to people experiencing a bereavement as a result of Covid-19.
Alan Tattersfield, 60, from Kilmarnock, received support from ACS after he was diagnosed with lymphoma three years ago. He said: “I loved using the therapies offered by ACS and, after a while, felt it would be good to give something back. The staff here are amazing, very dedicated and helped me so much during my cancer journey that I now volunteer to work with them. I love being able to help anyone that comes into the centre.”
Neil Ritch, National Lottery Community Fund Scotland director, said: “These awards, made possible by National Lottery players, are making an amazing contribution to the nation-wide response to combat the impact of Covid-19 on local communities across Scotland.
“This funding will make a huge difference to the lives of thousands of more people like Amyleigh and Alan. Their stories showcase the vital work that’s being done in communities across the country at the moment and remind us all how important a package of tailored support can be to improve well-being and help forge a sense of belonging to a wider community again.”
